Chapter 28: You Planned This
“Raquel, when do you think would be the best time for us to get married?” Jesse asked with heartfelt sincerity. “Now that Caleb has returned, it feels like the right moment to bring some happiness back into his life after the hardships he faced in prison. We should have the wedding sooner.”
Raquel hesitated, casting a glance at Caleb. His indifference to the conversation pricked at her nerves, and before she realized it, she blurted, “How about the fifteenth of next month? It’s my birthday, so it would be fitting to combine it with our wedding anniversary.”
A satisfied smile spread across Jesse’s face. “Perfect. It’s settled then. We’ll hold the birthday banquet and the wedding ceremony together. Raquel, no backing out.”
“Of course…” Raquel was absent-minded, her face devoid of any trace of joy.
Jesse, propping himself up against the bed frame, suddenly stood up. “I have to tell Mom and Dad the good news right away.”
The moment his feet touched the ground, his body leaned backward, collapsing onto the bed. Raquel let out a startled scream. “Jesse, Jesse, what’s wrong?” Turning her attention to Caleb, she demanded, “What are you just standing there for? Hurry and call Mr. and Mrs. Quixall!”
Caleb set down his phone, stepping away from the tense scene. He quickly located George and Deborah and relayed the news to them. Upon hearing that Jesse had fainted, George sternly reprimanded, “What did you do this time? Twice in a day!”
Deborah, her face etched with worry and tears in her eyes, said anxiously, “Let’s go check on Jesse right away. I’m worried something terrible might have happened to him…”
The entire Quixall family soon gathered in Jesse’s room, crowding the once-spacious space. “Jesse! Jesse!” Deborah called out repeatedly, but Jesse showed no response. She was so frightened that her face turned pale.
“I think he’s been poisoned! Get a doctor immediately, and call 911!”
The medical team examined Jesse one by one, but after completing their assessments, they each shook their heads and sighed. “Mr. Jesse seems to be suffering from food poisoning. We don’t have the necessary equipment here, so we must rush him to the hospital,” one of the doctors explained.
Another hesitated before saying, “This wasn’t a serious illness. However, Mr. Jesse has a heart condition. His health has been deteriorating over time. Even minor ailments could prove fatal. If luck isn’t on his side…”
Deborah felt her vision blur, teetering on the edge of fainting. “What do we do then? Are we just supposed to watch as Jesse leaves us?”
“There is one option. If we can quickly locate a compatible heart and take the risk to perform surgery on Mr. Jesse, his chances of recovery would rise significantly.”
Those words seemed to lift Deborah out of despair. “No matter the cost. I will find a suitable heart for Jesse!” George also nodded in agreement. “Jesse spent twenty long years living a life of hardship. After all that, he finally returned to the Quixall family to enjoy a life of peace and comfort. We can’t let his life end here. Even if it costs us everything, we have to save him!”
Jesse was rushed into the emergency room. Outside, George looked at Caleb with a steely gaze. “Tell me, what exactly happened? Why did Jesse faint?” Caleb’s voice was devoid of any emotion as he responded, “I warned you all that he shouldn’t eat too much seafood. But none of you listened and chose to ignore my advice from the start.”
“Rubbish!” George snapped, his finger pointed sharply at Caleb. “You planned this! You knew he couldn’t handle it, and you deliberately brought it up to trap us! You heartless ingrate! The Quixall family wasted twenty years raising you!”